MEMBERSHIP AND CODES

papapownall

The Dalai Lama's Cat + The Dalai Lama's Cat: Guided Meditations

By:
David Michie

Narrated by:
David Michie

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
192

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
180

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
180

Featuring a delightful cast of characters and timeless Buddhist wisdom, and with His Holiness' compassion pervading every chapter,
The Dalai Lama's Cat is simply enchanting. Not so much fly-on-the-wall as cat-on-the-sill, this is the warmhearted tale of a small kitten rescued from the slums of New Delhi who finds herself in a beautiful sanctuary with sweeping views of the snowcapped Himalayas.

Purr joy

Whimsical imaginary tale of the Dalai Lama's cat

Overall

3 out of 5 stars

Performance

3 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-09-19

I am not entirely sure who this book is aimed at. It is either a cat story or a book about Tibertan Buddhism and I am not sure which. It is the imagined tale of the Dalai Lama's cat who lives in McLeod Ganj with his holiness having been rescued as a kitten and bought up in the Dalai Lama's palace. The cat tells the stories of the various people who have met with the Dalai Lama and the wisdom that His Holiness imparts on his audience. Much of the book is the story of the cat and her various adventures in the kitchens and the cafes of McLeod Ganj but there are some interesting snippets that may or, most likely, may not have been said by His Holiness. This is obviously a successful book as there are now three and soon to be four in the series and David Michie's soft Cape voice is an easy listen.

Me

Moir

By:
Vic Reeves

Narrated by:
Vic Reeves

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Abridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
93

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
67

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
67

Peopled with a wonderful collection of warm, wicked, and weird characters, Vic Reeves' memoir is an enchanting, surreal, and utterly hilarious comic gem.

5 out of 5 stars

A joy from start to finish....

Absurdly brilliant memoir

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-09-19

I do like Vic Reeves who is a character created by Jim Moir, And this is the memoir of Jim Moir, amusingly titled Me:Moir, which, in itself is an act of comic genius. Along with Spike Milligan and Eric Morecambe, Vic Reeves is one of those people who can make you giggle just by thinking about him. I had already bought this book as an actual book (remember those, kids?) and had read the first few chapters when I saw that this was available on Audible too narrated by the man himself.
It does not disappoint. It tells the story of a young Jim growing up in Leeds and moving to Darlington and his childhood adventures including, amongst other things, budgerigars, painted haversacks, terrapin sandwiches, Hawkwind and the inspiration for the "Dove from Above" feature on Big Night. Bob Mortimer only gets a few passing mentions in the book. Presumably because he has now found his own fame and fortune larking about on the riverbanks with Paul Whitehouse. This is as absurd as it is brilliant.

Emma Thompson

Audible Sessions: FREE Exclusive Interview

By:
Robin Morgan-Bentley

Narrated by:
Emma Thompson

Length: 14 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
177

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
152

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
148

Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy- winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson chats to Audible's Robin Morgan about her part in an exclusive dramatisation of
Northanger Abbey.

Very interesting

Emma Thompson talks Northanger Abbey and reading

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-09-19

Here Emma Thompson talks about her narration of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. I read Northanger when I was on holiday in Portugal last year. I had already finished my holiday reading and went to the book exchange in the hotel lobby and after shuffling through the usual Mills and Boon, EL James, Wilbur Smith and Tom Clancy paperback I came across a worn but readable edition of Northanger Abbey. I had not read Jane Austen before but was immediately captivated. Whilst this is one of her lesser works which was written early in her career and published posthumously, this is still a great work of literature from the gothic period and I liked it a lot. I enjoyed listening to Emma Thompson talking about her thoughts about the novel and how she had read it as a 13 year old and again recently. And I really liked it when Emma talked about the books she has read recently. There are some brilliant recommendations in here and I re-wound and listened to that bit a couple of times scrobbling down the books she mentioned. I will certainly be listening to the audiobook of Northanger too, it sounds great.

The Wall

By:
John Lanchester

Narrated by:
Will Poulter

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
572

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
534

Story

4 out of 5 stars
532

Kavanagh begins his life patrolling the Wall. If he's lucky, if nothing goes wrong, he only has two years of this, 729 more nights. The best thing that can happen is that he survives and gets off the Wall and never has to spend another day of his life anywhere near it. He longs for this to be over; longs to be somewhere else. He will soon find out what Defenders do and who the Others are. Along with the rest of his squad, he will endure cold and fear day after day, night after night.

Good listen, but lacking subtlety

Dystopian near future vision is well defined

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-09-19

John Lanchester has imagined the near future in a Black Mirror type dystopian vision that supposes that the United Kingdom will build a wall to protect its coasts to prevent the invasion of "others". Simple extrapolation of current world events that have seen the rise of popularism, the building of a wall to protect the Southern borders of the United States and the United Kingdom wanting to turn its back on the world to go it alone via its self destructive Brexit policy, make it clear how and why the author has come to this frightening scenario. In this new world climate change has reduced the weather to two types of cold and the older generation are openly apologetic for destroying the environment.
This is not as far fetched as it sounds. And it certainly gives the reader cause for thought. This book was Long Listed for the Booker Prize this year and I can understand why. Despite the plot being a little thin in places, the scenario is believable and the characters are well defined. I enjoyed it anyway. Four stars.

FREE: Crackanory Too Cracked for TV - exclusive to Audible

By:
Crackanory

Narrated by:
Toby Jones,
Katherine Parkinson,
John Robins,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,750

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,467

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,467

Imagine if Jackanory was set free from its childish shackles. What twisted, funny tales would it unleash upon the world? Combining some of the UK's best and brightest comedy writers and performers, this exclusive to audio edition of UKTV's Dave Channel Crackanory is a master class in storytelling and features an all-star cast including Toby Jones, Katherine Parkinson, John Robins, Robert Bathurst and Simon Bird.

A Decent Freebie!

Five short stories with a twist

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-09-19

This was a freebee and there is nothing wrong with that. Free stuff means you don't have to pay for it which means that you have more cash to spend on other stuff like more audio books so this is a good thing in my view.
There are five short stories in this collection and it is a sort of a cross between an adults' Jackanory and Tales of the Unexpected (I'm showing my age here). They are described as "too cracked for TV" whatever that means. Yes they are a bit saucy in places but there is nothing here that is unsuitable for older children. My favourite one was the one about the author whose character comes to life, it is very well written and performed and had been laughing out loud. The Egg one is quite funny too. Recommended.

Eddie Izzard

Audible Sessions: FREE Exclusive interview

By:
Robin Morgan-Bentley

Narrated by:
Eddie Izzard

Length: 10 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
175

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
151

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
146

The award-winning comedian Eddie Izzard joins us in the Audible Studios to discuss his autobiography, Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens. Izzard started his comedy career in the 1980s and has toured the world with his one-man stage shows, achieving huge success in 1998 with Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill. He has forged a great acting career appearing in many TV series including a starring role in The Riches as well as roles in films such as Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen.

Can't wait to listen to his autobiography!

Eddie Izzard : witty, charming and entertaining

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 29-08-19

I have always admired Eddie Izzard and in this short interview he talks about his book Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens. It is his autobiography in which he talks about his life as a comic and how he came out as a transvestite before the terms transsexual / transgender were invented. He is an witty and charming and entertaining as ever. I still don't know what "jazz chickens" are though. I guess I will just have to buy the book to find out.

Frank

The True Story that Inspired the Movie

By:
Jon Ronson

Narrated by:
Jon Ronson

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
360

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
337

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
337

In the late 1980s Jon Ronson was the keyboard player in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band. Frank wore a big fake head. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity. This became the subject of feverish speculation during his zenith years. Together, they rode relatively high. Then it all went wrong. Twenty-five years later and Jon has co-written a movie, Frank, inspired by his time in this great and bizarre band. Frank is set for release in 2014, starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Domhnall Gleeson and directed by Lenny Abrahamson.

A charming, minor entry in the Robson oeuvre

Short book of story that inspired the movie

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 29-08-19

I am a big fan of Jon Ronson. I am an even bigger fan on Frank Sidebottom who is the subject of this short book that was written in 2014 just after Frank Sidebottom / Chris Sievey's death. I saw Frank Sidebottom live many times and loved his anarchic stage show. I went to Timperley to see the fantastic statue of Frank Sidebottom unveiled one sunny Sunday afternoon to hoards of adoring fans many of whom had helped to pay for this via a crowd funding campaign. It was truly heart-warming. Jon was the keyboard player in Frank Sidebottom's Oh Blimey Big Band so he was as close as anyone to the man behind the mask and he tells the story of the early days in this book. I read this when it first came out and was a little disappointed at the time at its shortness (around 80 pages) some of which stray to other weird musical creations such as The Shaggs and, briefly, Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. Entertaining as it is, I would have liked to have heard more about Frank Sidebottom. The audio book version of the story is better than the book as it is read by Jon himself and he realty relates tot he story. Jon Ronson went on to make a film, called Frank, that was loosely based on the Frank Sidebottom story which I quite liked but I would recommend Steve Sullivan's excellent film Being Frank : The Chris Sievey Story to anyone who is interested in finding out more about this amazing and strange character. It is fantastic. It really is.

Benjamin Zephaniah

Audible Sessions: FREE Exclusive Interview

By:
Holly Newson

Narrated by:
Benjamin Zephaniah

Length: 16 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
37

Story

5 out of 5 stars
37

Zephaniah transformed performance poetry when he came onto the scene in the 1980s and has gone on to convey political and societal messages through his work. He’s also written numerous novels, children’s books and plays as well as releasing multiple albums. A multitalented man with an uneasy childhood and mixed up teen years, he has plenty to say in his autobiography. When he came to the studio, he spoke about overcoming his shyness, writing about his mum and what the West can learn from the rest of the world about peace.

Interesting introduction to a great man

Interesting introduction to a great man

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 28-08-19

Having already read Benjamin Zephaniah's incredible autobiography when it came out I am keen to explore the Audible version too. In this short interview Benjamin explains the process of writing and recording the book and some snippets of his incredible life. I will certainly be downloading this when I get some more credits.

Two Cheers for Anarchism

Six Easy Pieces on Autonomy, Dignity, and Meaningful Work and Play

By:
James C. Scott

Narrated by:
Jeremy Arthur

Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
22

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
18

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

James Scott taught us what's wrong with seeing like a state. Now, in his most accessible and personal book to date, the acclaimed social scientist makes the case for seeing like an anarchist. Inspired by the core anarchist faith in the possibilities of voluntary cooperation without hierarchy,
Two Cheers for Anarchism is an engaging, high-spirited, and often very funny defense of an anarchist way of seeing - one that provides a unique and powerful perspective on everything from everyday social and political interactions to mass protests and revolutions.

Eye-Opening and Insightful

Easy listening amble through anarchism

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 28-08-19

I have tried to understand Anarchism before and ploughed through heavyweight tomes of political diatribe by the likes of Bakunin, Kropotkin and Proudhon. This is joyless task and makes you wonder whether the concept of a stateless society is really all it is cracked up to be. I took a deep breath, therefore, when I stated to listen to this book by anthropologist James C Scott which promises to be a defence of the anarchist perspective. It is written in what is describes as "six easy pieces" and it is, indeed, easy to listen to and there are several times during the "Fragments" of this book that a reader could be forgiven for thinking that this is a light hearted collections of anecdotes rather than a description of a political ideology. There is precious little mention of anarchist theories or thinkers or history and this is a welcome relief. Whilst this book does not really do much to explain or promote anarchist concepts it is an easy listen that amuses rather than taxes the reader / listener and this is not a bad thing.

Ed Balls

Audible Sessions: FREE Exclusive Interview

By:
Ed Balls,
Robin Morgan

Narrated by:
Ed Balls,
Robin Morgan

Length: 9 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
21

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
20

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
20

On the eve of his debut on the
Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor, Ed Balls joins Robin Morgan in the Audible Studios to discuss his autobiography, the experience of recording an audiobook, and his hopes for taking home the coveted Strictly trophy. Audible exclusive.

There is more to Ed Balls than you think

There is more to Ed Balls than you think

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 28-08-19

This short interview was recorded just as Ed Balls was starting his stint on Strictly Come Dancing. At the time he had been out of politics for around 18 months and had already been a contestant on Bake Off, become Chair of his beloved Norwich City FC and started to learn the piano, oh and written his autobiography which this interview is to promote. This book, apparently, is not a traditional chronological affair, rather it covers various themes such as friendship, loyalty, defeat and... erm... flowers. The interview does touch on politics and, at the time it was recorded, Theresa May had just been anointed Prime Minister. Ed's take on her is quite perceptive as he describes her as "a bit distant" and "dithers over making decisions"; how true.